1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for interfacing with a storage library.
2. Background Art
Media management systems include storage libraries that are configured to physically store and retrieve media contained therein. In order for a customer to access the media stored and maintained by the storage libraries, the customer has a software application referred to as a client interface, which is compatible with the storage library software architecture. Thus, when a customer requests a particular media, the client interface is configured to communicate with the corresponding storage library, thereby causing the storage library to retrieve the requested media. However, conventional storage libraries are configured to communicate and execute requests from specific client interface types. For example, a storage library having a small computer system interface (SCSI) configuration may receive media requests only from a customer having a SCSI type client interface. Accordingly, a SCSI configured storage library is unable to execute customer requests from a non-SCSI type client interface. As such, a customer having multiple types of client interfaces is required to have media maintained by storage libraries that are compatible with each type of client interface. Such an arrangement is cumbersome and inefficient in that customers are required to use multiple storage libraries that are compatible with each client interface. Thus, the conventional media management systems do not efficiently utilize storage libraries to maximize their physical resources, thereby providing improved media management for customers.
The present invention was conceived in view of these and other disadvantages of conventional media management systems.